A data storage system may be a significant asset. For example, a company may use a data storage system to store a large amount of information, some of which may be sensitive to the company and/or its customers. Similarly, a government organization or contractor may use a data storage system to store classified information. The user of a data storage system generally wants its data storage system to store its data reliably.
Nonetheless, there may be circumstances in which a user no longer wants to use its data storage system, or components thereof, to store its data. For instance, a user may want to upgrade disk drives within its data storage system. Similarly, a user may want to upgrade its storage system as a whole. The data on the old data storage system or components may then become a liability because its presence limits the extent to which the old system or components may be reused.
A user generally does not want its information to be available to others. Privacy and other legal or business concerns may obligate a user to ensure that access to its information is controlled. If the data storage system did not contain the user's information, a user may be able to sell or repurpose its data storage system without concern for the disclosure of its data. Similarly, if components of the data storage system did not contain the user's information, a user may be able to sell or repurpose the components without concern for the disclosure of data.
EMC Corp. has used a host-based kit—including a processor, a monitor, a keyboard, a communications link, and special software—to enable users of EMC's Clariion system to erase data contained thereon. A small number of these kits were built. Each kit weighs about 300 pounds and must be shipped to the site of the Clariion system prior to its use. Once on site, the kit requires special physical set-up and configuration of the target data storage system prior to the kit's use. The kit communicates with the front end of a Clariion system to erase data contained in the Clariion system. Thus, any instructions from the kit must be interpreted by both the front end and the back end of the system, before any persistent memory device is acted upon. Erasure time ranges from 2 to 72 hours depending on the data storage capacity of the entire system. EMC offers no certification of the erasure process done with the kit.
The inventors of the present invention recognized that a method or system for non-destructively erasing data in a data storage system that overcomes one or more of the limitations of the kit may have value. The inventors further recognized that a more flexible method or system for non-destructively erasing data in a data storage system would likely have the most value.